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'Journey Live' blends video games with the symphony stage
Journey is going on tour. No, not the band -- the innovative PlayStation 3 game, Journey, and Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble are embarking on a tour that blends gaming with live, reactive music. Journey Live is an interactive event where selected people will play the game and the ensemble will respond to their actions on-stage. Grammy-nominated Journey composer Austin Wintory and fellow musician Patrick O'Malley drew up a special, interactive version of the game's score that allows the ensemble to mirror a live playthrough.
Facebook's live streaming is available to all verified pages
Facebook Live, the social network's version of Periscope, was already available for "public figures." Now, the folks in Menlo Park are giving all verified pages the chance to employ the tool. This means that you can expect more brands, sports teams and web personalities to begin live streaming with the help of the Facebook iOS app. Live videos allow Mark Zuckerberg & Co. to take on the likes of Twitter when it comes to breaking news and live event coverage.
Spotify recommends concerts based on your listening habits
Spotify's Discover Weekly feature curates a new playlist based on your listening habits every seven days. Now, the streaming service is using those tracks you play to serve up nearby concert recommendations, too. Spotify says the concert picks are based on the artists it knows you'll want to see live with some other acts it thinks you'll enjoy thrown in for good measure. Just like Discover Weekly, the recommendations will change with your musical tastes. What's more, when you're heading out of town, you can change your location to see which concerts are happening at your destination. The whole thing is powered by Songkick, and the Concerts feature hits Spotify's Android and iOS apps today.
Periscope's skip-ahead update hits mobile, with 3D Touch on iOS
Periscope's latest update hit the web late last week, and today it's live across Android and iOS devices, with some special twists. Mobile users can now fast-forward and rewind through replays, as promised. The app's Global Map has a few more functions, as follows: Zoom in on a location and the map will show live broadcasts (red dots) and replays (blue dots) from the past 24 hours. Anyone with Periscope on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus can use 3D Touch to press down on the app icon and pull up a menu of options: Search People, Teleport (which takes you to a random live stream), Broadcast Mutuals and Broadcast. Android users finally get pinch-to-zoom in this update, as well. [Image credit: Periscope]
Facebook lets you know when celebrities are streaming live video
No, Facebook isn't opening up its live streaming feature to the hoi polloi just yet, but it does have the next best thing. It's rolling out a subscription feature to Facebook Live that lets you know the next time your favorite celebrity starts a stream. You'll have to tap the button on a live video (seriously, shouldn't this always be available?), but it'll keep you in the loop the next time a star has a big announcement or Q&A. Clearly, Facebook isn't worried about competing directly with Twitter's Periscope right now -- it's more interested in boosting the profiles of its best-known users than giving everyone a chance to share their lives on camera.
YouTube Gaming aims to be the most popular streaming site in town
YouTube is already the web's most popular video site, but with the launch of YouTube Gaming across iOS, Android and desktops on August 26th, it aims to claim another title: most popular streaming site. YouTube Gaming bets big on live-streamed and archived gaming videos, with separate pages for more than 25,000 games. Users also get a customized feed of the gaming channels they follow, complete with notifications when each channel is live. All of this means YouTube Gaming is going head-to-head with Twitch, a site that Amazon bought for nearly $1 billion last year, following murmurs that YouTube's parent company, Google, was interested in the same purchase.
Rdio adds free live radio stations to its streaming library
Apple Music has Beats1, and now Rdio has live radio, too. Rdio announced today that in addition to its library of 35 million songs and curated stations, it's tacking on live broadcast radio with access to "nearly 500 stations." You can browse the full list here, but for starters you can expect 93.9 The Beat in Indianapolis, 95.5 KLOS in LA, 95.5 NASH Icon in Nashville, NASH FM 94.7 in New York and KFOG in San Francisco thanks to Cumulus Radio. Westwood One is also chipping in, which means you'll be able to listen to 24/7 sports talk and game coverage of events like NCAA March Madness. What's more, there will be on-demand access to those talk shows (The Jim Rome Show, The Doug Gottlieb Show and others) in what we'd surmise is a podcast-like repository. You'll be able to stream your local favorites and stations broadcasting in other cities, too.
Re/code: Apple wants local stations on its web TV service
Earlier this week, folks in the know claimed that Apple's HDTV project had been junked after more than a decade of development. Now, however, Re/code is reporting that the company is still working on an online TV service for its devices, but wants to beat its rivals by being the first to offer live video from local broadcasters. Naturally, a push for regional content means having to deal with the hundreds of affiliates that operate across the country. So, instead of just shaking hands on a contract with ABC, Apple's got to get lawyers out to every station from Arizona's KNXV-TV to Wyoming's WAOW.
Watch Jack White, Drake and others live from Coachella this weekend
If you prefer to enjoy music festivals with actual bathrooms, a hot shower and no dust, you're in luck. Just like previous years, you'll be able to stream three days of live music from Coachella on YouTube this weekend (April 10-12). Don't expect to see the full lineup of artists, but with three channels of performances and commentary, you'll be able to take in most of the big names. This year's list of acts includes AC/DC, Drake, Florence & The Machine, Interpol, Jack White, Run the Jewels, Vic Mensa and many more. If some of those names don't sound familiar, interactive profiles will bring you up to speed while you watch. There's also a virtual map of the festival that lets you to see photos taken on site, and a schedule feature that automatically updates based on your time zone and the channel you're watching. The stream begins Friday, so fire up your Chromecast or other YouTube-friendly device then, and head over to the Coachella YouTube page. [Image credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images]
Live at 10pm tonight: It's The End Of The World As We Know It, final Sunday "Talkcast"
It may be Superbowl Sunday, but for those of us who have enjoyed reading, contributing to or editing The Unofficial Apple Weblog it's anything but super. As you all know, our parent company has lowered the curtain on this motley crew, and we are set to officially cease publication on Tuesday of next week. For me personally, TUAW's finale is surprisingly emotional. I mused on Twitter that the outpouring of positive feedback and gratitude is a bit like surreptitiously attending your own funeral; comments like these from Federico Viticci, Xeni Jardin, Harry McCracken and Rene Ritchie remind me that the work we've done here over the past decade has not gone unappreciated. It's hard to believe that it was more than eight years ago when Laurie Duncan and Scott McNulty first welcomed me aboard as a shiny new blogger; I never could have imagined the wonderful people I'd meet and work with, great products I'd review, or the strange media experiences I'd have. Recent days have seen far less of me here than I'd have liked, as my day job demanded the bulk of my time and attention. (My entire tenure with the site was as a freelancer, but prior to 2013 my full-time gig was more compatible with my secret identity as a Mac blogger.) With Tuesday's closure, there will be a lot of stories unwritten and reviews undone -- particular apologies to David Sparks, whose great ebook on presentations still sits at the top of my "posts to be written" pile. Still, there was one key appointment at TUAW that I tried to make every week. For almost seven years of Sundays, when 10 pm Eastern (and 7 pm Pacific, and 5 pm Hawaii time) rolled around, you could find the TUAW team holding forth live on our weekly Talkcast show. From the very first episodes in August of 2007 up to our final broadcast in July of 2014, we tried to connect our enthusiasm for TUAW's coverage with the strong opinions and great information that our audience members brought to bear. Always an audio-only affair (despite some flirtations with visual media, and the success of our sister TUAW TV Live show hosted by Steve Sande and Shawn "Doc Rock" Boyd), the radio call-in style show featured a rotating team of hosts, a lineup of occasional all-star guests, and the ever-present gallery of readers, listeners and fans who rapidly became a part of the site family. You all rock, and we miss you (which is why Kelly Guimont and I have continued to podcast on The Aftershow). So, we're going to go around one last time. Tonight at 10 pm ET, we're doing a live Hangout -- with video this time! -- to cheer all of you and thank you for your years of support. The TUAW TV Live team is also planning a farewell show for Tuesday afternoon, with exact details to be determined, but for tonight we're gonna party like it's 1999! You can join the Hangout on Air by visiting our G+ Events page, or simply watch via the embedded video below. Can't wait to see you.
ESPN offers standalone subscription for the Cricket World Cup
Talks of ESPN's standalone options are nothing new, and for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the network is offering a cable-free standalone subscription. Access to the event's six-week slate of 49 matches will cost viewers $100 for viewing on the web. Teams from 14 countries begin competition on February 13th, and if you're interested, sign-ups go live on the 3rd. As you might expect, the subscription includes access to all the action via iOS and Android apps too, options that ESPN says will arrive ahead of the first inning. The matches won't air on WatchESPN or any of the traditional channels, but pay-TV companies like Dish Network and Time Warner Cable will serve it up as a pay-per-view add-on -- if you're looking to bundle the bills. If you'll recall, rumors of ESPN's standalone NBA subscription began circulating last fall, and the broadcaster could do the same with Major League Soccer in the future. [Photo credit: Scott Barbour/Getty Images ]
MTV adds a live feed to its Android and iOS apps
You've been able to catch up with episodes of Jersey Shore through MTV's iOS and Android apps for around a year. But, if you wanted to gasp along with the action as it was broadcast, you'd have to make an appointment to take over the family TV. Thankfully, the reality channel has updated apps on both platforms to bring a live feed of both MTV and MTV2 to your device (assuming you have a participating pay-TV provider to log in with). That said, we can't imagine anyone persisting with the feature for too long -- those ad-breaks are a lot shorter when you're catching up.
Steam infiltrates Twitch territory with Steam Broadcasting [Update: Twitch reaction]
Steam Broadcasting allows players to stream their live gameplay to friends, strangers and any Steam user between, without any third-party programs required. To stream a game, simply start playing. Players are able to keep their gameplay private, too. The first time a friend requests to watch your live game, you'll see the broadcast privacy settings, with choices to allow friends to watch, request to watch, receive invites to watch, or to allow anyone to watch your games. Choosing "Anyone can watch my games" makes your stream appear on that game's Hub. "You'll receive a toast when a friend either requests to watch or starts watching your game," the Steam Broadcasting FAQ reads. "At any time you can see a list of viewers from the Steam overlay broadcast box, or if you're watching your own broadcast, from the top of the chat." There's no option to record broadcasts on Steam yet. Those in the Steam Client Beta can try out Steam Broadcasting right now.
YouTube Music Awards return in March 2015 sans stage show
Just about this time last year, the folks at YouTube took over Pier 36 in Manhattan to put on an hour-and-a-half-long awards show to celebrate the musicians that blew up the internet in 2013. It was... alright at best (unless you really like watching grown men rummaging through cakes), but despite over 50 million views on the show video itself, the live stream almost definitely didn't blow up the way the people in charge hoped it would. Ouch. YouTube was fond enough of the idea to take another stab at it, but thankfully this time the company's dropping that tired, ancient (not to mention expensive) awards show format.
Watch this: the first Formula E race is tomorrow in Beijing
After a couple years of careful planning, the inaugural Formula E season is set to hit the track this weekend. Tomorrow's race is set for 3:30 AM ET in Beijing on a circuit that's laid out on around the iconic Bird's Nest venue from the 2008 Olympics. Anxious at-home spectators in the US can catch the action on Fox Sports 1 while UK viewers can tune in via ITV4. The Spark-Renault cars carry McLaren 200kW electric motors, systems and transmissions that equate to 0-60 MPH (0-100 km/h) in three seconds with a top speed of 150 MPH (225 km/h). During the first season, the 10-race schedule features stops in the States, Argentina and Monaco before wrapping up with the London ePrix in June 2015. Update: Qualifying is over, and e.dams-Renault driver Nicolas Prost has snagged the first-ever Formula E pole with a 1.42.200 lap around the Beijing circuit. [Photo credit: GOH CHAI HIN/AFP/Getty Images]
Apple plans to live stream its upcoming September 9 media event
Apple this afternoon announced that it will be live streaming its upcoming media event scheduled to take place next Tuesday at 10 AM Pacific Time. The page includes a running countdown timer along with the following teaser: "Live video from our special event will be right here. And so will a whole lot more." As opposed to most other Apple events, next week's event is slated to take place at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino. Notably, the Flint Center is where Steve Jobs unveiled the original Mac and also where the original Bondi Blue iMac was introduced. You can catch all of Apple's exciting product announcements live at http://www.apple.com/live
Engadget Live Boston is this Friday!
Our third Engadget Live event of 2014 hits Boston this Friday, August 22nd. At 7PM on the dot, we'll transform Royale into a scene that even Stefon would consider worthy of being Boston's hottest club. Tap your way through the gallery below to find out what you can expect when you come out to our free event.
Even more awesomeness to expect at Engadget Live Boston
If you're a Boston area resident who loves technology, we've got something for you to do on Friday, August 22nd. Join us at Royale at 7PM for our editorial dance-off third Engadget Live event of the year. Flip through the gallery below to find out why this is a cant-miss event.
Boston's due up next on our Engadget Live tour!
Beantown, Titletown, Bahston or Bawston; whatever you call this strong Massachusetts city or how you pronounce it, we're excited to be heading back there. On Friday August 22nd, we'll head to Royale on Tremont St. at 7PM for our third Engadget Live of the year. But why is this the can't-miss event of the summer? Click through our gallery below to find out.
Report: Google deal to acquire Twitch for $1 billion is so on
Google has acquired Twitch for $1 billion, Venture Beat reports, citing people "familiar with the matter." This follows a report in May that Google (via YouTube) was in talks to acquire Twitch. Twitch offered no comment on the new claim. Venture Beat notes that details are scarce on the deal and the precise purchase price is still unknown, but early Twitch investors "are pleased that they will be getting significant returns that are multiple times the amount they originally invested." Reports from May place YouTube at the head of the acquisition. Twitch, after all, is a live game streaming site, and YouTube handles all things in online video. [Image: Twitch]
